In this lesson you will learn how to navigate a Parisian apartment building — from the entrance code to the elevator to the landing. You will also master ordinal numbers, which are essential for talking about floors, rankings, and sequences in French. The scenario is a very real, everyday situation: Camille is guiding a delivery person to her flat over the phone. Listen and learn!
Learning tips
- Ordinal numbers in French are formed by adding '-ième' to the cardinal number: deux → deuxième, trois → troisième. The only exception is 'premier/première' (first), which is completely irregular.
- Remember the French floor numbering system: the ground floor is 'le rez-de-chaussée' (NOT 'le premier étage'). The 'premier étage' is one flight up — what English speakers call the second floor. This trips up many English learners!
- 'Il faut + infinitive' is a very useful impersonal structure meaning 'you need to / it is necessary to'. It does not change with the subject: 'Il faut taper le code' (You/one needs to type the code).
- The verbs in this lesson — 'taper', 'sonner', 'appuyer', 'entrer' — are all regular -er verbs. Practise their imperative forms since they are naturally used when giving instructions: 'Tapez le code!', 'Sonnez!', 'Entrez!'
- Apartment entry in France typically involves a digicode (door keypad) with a 4- or 5-digit code, followed by an interphone (intercom). Learning this vocabulary will make you feel at home in any French city.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le quartier | the neighbourhood / district |
| le voisin | the (male) neighbour |
| la voisine | the (female) neighbour |
| l'avenue | the avenue |
| le trottoir | the pavement / sidewalk |
| la terrasse | the terrace / patio |
| calme | quiet / calm |
| bruyant | noisy |
| agréable | pleasant / enjoyable |
| moderne | modern |
Dialog
Camille is at home in her Paris flat when a delivery person calls, unable to find the entrance. She guides him step by step — entrance code, intercom button, elevator, floor, and landing — in a very practical, real-world conversation.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| l' l'adresse | /la.dʁɛs/ | the address | Feminine: l'adresse. The double -ss- is important: /a.dʁɛs/. Also used in computing: 'adresse e-mail'. 'Je cherche mon adresse' = I'm looking for my address. |
| le palier | /lə pa.lje/ | the landing (floor between flats) | Masculine: le palier. The shared area outside apartment doors on each floor. 'Sur le palier' = on the landing. Less known to English learners but very common in French apartment life. |
| l' l'étage | /le.taʒ/ | the floor / storey | Masculine: l'étage. Appears again as an active word here. Remember: 'au deuxième étage' uses the preposition 'à' + 'le' = 'au'. Ground floor = 'rez-de-chaussée', not 'premier étage'. |
| l' l'ascenseur | /la.sɑ̃.sœʁ/ | the lift / elevator | Masculine: l'ascenseur. Pronounced /a.sɑ̃.sœʁ/. 'Prendre l'ascenseur' = to take the lift. The opposite: 'prendre l'escalier' = to take the stairs. |
| la clé | /la kle/ | the key | Feminine: la clé (also spelled 'la clef'). 'J'ai ma clé' = I have my key. 'Clé USB' = USB stick (literally 'USB key'). Very versatile word in French. |
| le code | /lə kɔd/ | the code / PIN | Masculine: le code. In the context of French apartment buildings, 'le code' almost always means the door entry code (digicode). 'Taper le code' = to type the code. |
| entrer | /ɑ̃.tʁe/ | to enter / to go in | Regular -er verb: j'entre, tu entres. 'Entrer dans' = to go into (a place). Imperative: 'Entrez !' (Come in!). Used constantly with apartment and building vocabulary. |
| sonner | /sɔ.ne/ | to ring (a bell / intercom) | Regular -er verb: je sonne, tu sonnes. 'Sonner à la porte' = to ring the doorbell. 'Ça sonne!' = It's ringing! Also used for a phone ringing. |
| appuyer | /a.pɥi.je/ | to press (a button) | Regular -er verb with a spelling note: 'appuyer' has y → i before a silent e: j'appuie, tu appuies, il appuie, nous appuyons. 'Appuyer sur' = to press (followed by 'sur'). |
| taper | /ta.pe/ | to type / to press (a key) / to tap | Regular -er verb: je tape, tu tapes. 'Taper le code' = to type the code. Also used for typing on a keyboard: 'taper un message'. English 'to tap' is a near-cognate. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le digicode | /lə di.ʒi.kɔd/ | the door keypad / digicode | Masculine: le digicode. A branded name that became the generic term for the electronic entry keypad found on virtually every French apartment building. Very common in daily Paris life. |
| l' l'interphone | /lɛ̃.tɛʁ.fɔn/ | the intercom / entry phone | Masculine: l'interphone. The device inside a flat that allows you to speak to visitors at the front door. 'Sonner à l'interphone' = to ring on the intercom. |
| le gardien | /lə ɡaʁ.djɛ̃/ | the caretaker / concierge | Masculine: le gardien (feminine: la gardienne). The building's caretaker, who manages the entrance, post, and maintenance. The French concierge is a cultural institution. |
| la boîte aux lettres | /la bwat o lɛtʁ/ | the letterbox / mailbox | Feminine: la boîte aux lettres. Literally 'the box for letters'. Usually found near the building entrance, one per flat. 'Mettre une lettre dans la boîte' = to put a letter in the box. |
| le loyer | /lə lwa.je/ | the rent | Masculine: le loyer. 'Payer le loyer' = to pay the rent. 'Le loyer est élevé' = the rent is high. A very practical word for anyone renting in France. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| au troisième étage | on the third floor |
| il faut + infinitif | it is necessary to + verb / you need to + verb |
| à gauche / à droite | on the left / on the right |
Grammar: Ordinal numbers (premier, deuxième, troisième...) indicate position or rank and are used with floors, rankings, and sequences.
| Cardinal | Ordinal (m) | Ordinal (f) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (un) | premier | première | le premier étage |
| 2 (deux) | deuxième | deuxième | au deuxième étage |
| 3 (trois) | troisième | troisième | j'habite au troisième |
| 4 (quatre) | quatrième | quatrième | la quatrième porte |
| 5 (cinq) | cinquième | cinquième | le cinquième étage |
| 6+ | ajouter -ième | ajouter -ième | le sixième, le septième... |
| Note | premier only irregular | première (f) | le premier étage ≠ le deuxième |
Ordinal numbers tell us the position or rank of something: first, second, third, etc. In French, ordinal numbers are formed with a simple rule: take the cardinal number and add the suffix '-ième'.
Examples:
• deux → deuxième (second)
• trois → troisième (third)
• quatre → quatrième (fourth)
• cinq → cinquième (fifth) [note: -qu becomes -qu + ième]
• six → sixième, sept → septième, huit → huitième, neuf → neuvième [note: -f → -v], dix → dixième
The only completely irregular ordinal is 'premier' (first, masculine) / 'première' (first, feminine). Never say 'unième' to mean first — it does not exist as a standalone word.
Ordinals are adjectives and agree in gender: 'le premier étage' (m.), 'la première porte' (f.). From 'deuxième' onwards, the form is the same for both genders.
Using ordinals with floors: in French, you say 'au + ordinal + étage':
• 'J'habite au premier étage.' (I live on the first floor — UK) / (I live on the second floor — US)
• 'Elle habite au troisième étage.' (She lives on the third floor — UK / fourth floor — US)
Remember: the ground floor in France is 'le rez-de-chaussée' (abbreviated RDC). You would NOT say 'le premier étage' for the ground floor. This difference from English usage is one of the most common sources of confusion.
Ordinals also appear in dates: 'le premier janvier' (the 1st of January — the only date that uses an ordinal), but all other dates use cardinals: 'le deux février', 'le vingt-cinq mars'.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct word from this lesson.
- Pour entrer, il faut le code sur le digicode. (taper)(Verb: to press keys/digits on a keypad)
- J'habite au étage — prenez l'ascenseur. (troisième)(Ordinal number for 3rd)
- Appuyez sur le bouton et la porte. (entrer — impératif)(Verb: to go inside — imperative form)
- Mon est sur le palier, à gauche de l'ascenseur. (adresse → appartement)(The word for the place where you live, not the street address — think 'flat')
- Vous pouvez à l'interphone — je suis chez moi. (sonner)(Verb: to ring a doorbell or intercom)
Grammar Application — Ordinal Numbers
Write out the ordinal number in French as indicated.
- 1er → (ordinal, masculin)(The irregular first ordinal, masculine form)
- 2e → (ordinal, masculin)(Cardinal 'deux' + -ième)
- 5e → (ordinal, masculin)(Cardinal 'cinq' + -ième — watch the spelling)
- 1ère → (ordinal, féminin)(The irregular first ordinal, feminine form)
- 3e → (ordinal, dans la phrase : j'habite au ___)(Use in a sentence: 'j'habite au ___' — ordinal for 3rd)
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French using vocabulary and ordinal numbers from this lesson.
- I live on the third floor.
- You need to type the code to enter.
- Take the lift and press button three.
- The landing is on the left as you come out of the lift.
- Ring the bell and I'll open the door with my key.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write 2–3 sentences giving instructions to someone visiting your flat (real or imaginary) for the first time. Include an ordinal number (floor), at least one imperative verb, and 'il faut'.
Takeaway
French ordinal numbers add '-ième' to the cardinal number — except 'premier/première' (first), which is completely irregular — and remember that the French ground floor is 'rez-de-chaussée', not 'premier étage'.